Best Of 2018: Albums Through February 28th

Ephorize – cupcakKe – The easy answer is cupcakke is a modern day Millie Jackson except a song like “Wisdom Teeth” is straight up flow rappin’ and rhymin’… on the other hand “Tap the head of the dick, duck duck duck goose, head of the dick, duck duck duck goose, get that dick up and runnin’ when he fuck this cooch covered in all my cum the dick be lookin’ like a goose”. Over fifteen tracks only four are explicit, which means the Chicago rapper is developing, but man, they are filthy dirty. “Crayons” is as great a song as the LGBTQ deserves

Kendrick Lamar – Black Panther The Album Music From And Inspired By – Kendrick curates and performs on four tracks and it all has that Kendrick touch, hard yet serious. Jay Rock and Future are on one of the best songs of the year so far, the SZA duet made a complete believer of me, and Schoolboy Q needs no introduction

.2 Chainz – The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It EP – Four songs, all great and I’m not even a big 2 Chainz fan, plus “Proud” -with YG and Offset, is not only one of Offset’s best moments of the year (and remember, he is a third of the new Migos brick), but also: how often do you hear a song about trying to make momma proud?

Joan As Police Woman – Damned Devotion – Did you know that the Joan in question, Joan Wasser, used to date Jeff Buckley? I didn’t mostly because she has never been quite good enough to maintain my interest, maybe I didn’t give her the time. The lead single here, “Tell Me” changed that, and this is a terrific, soulful, white soul rebels of an album. It kept my attention and while I think there is something missing from the mix, I am not sure if it makes any difference because just about everything is quite good enough. A luminous, lovely, thriller of an album where Joan gets her disco on but only just

Caroline Rose – LONER – At its best when at its lightest, “Bikini” is my jam, at its worse it is pure pop electronic with attitude and smarts

Ghostface Killah – The Brown Tape – According XXL: “,Ghost dropped the concept album, 2 Reasons to Die, with Adrian Younge in 2013. Frequent collaborator Brown then put together an alternate version of the LP titled The Brown Tape, which featured an almost identical tracklist and all new beats. The new version was released on streaming sites but would later be removed. Last month, Mello Music Group revealed they would be re-releasing the project January 25th. ” According to Ken Shane: “As far from Kendrick as you can get but nearly as cool”

Camila Cabello – Camila – The former Fifth Harmony has played her hand as well as Zayn Malik, and while some of this is a bore, its best moments, the potential song of the winter “Never be The Same” for one and the Cuban- American theme song “Havana” among them, is sky high

U.S. Girls – In a Poem Unlimited – Of all those gender fluid, lilith-y performers, all the Courtneys and Angel Olsem , U.S> Girls don’t much fit because their sound is so gorgeous, dynamic, and strong. This is their second killer album in a row amd if you hang out for ten songs you’ll get personal best “Poem”

Superchunk – What a Time to Be Alive – Not as good as the standard bearer, Majestic Shedding, but better than the last couple. Apparently a reaction to the Trump Presidency (they don’t like it) and it rings like a punk pop bell (and Mac McCaughan still sounds like a whiny teenager)

The Lovely Eggs – This Is Eggland – Wiggy giggy psychedelic fun and games by knockout duo of wide eyed jokesters who mean it, always great all the way to “Would You fuck

Night Owl EP – Jessi Mason – Terrific singer songwriter who nails all six songs, especially the one about understanding herself and the one about getting Joni Mitchell

Bahamas – Earthtones – Superb one man band, Canada’s Afie Jurvanen dubs himself folk but is more digital master planner pop singer songwriter on this flawless album of first rate songs, try “Opening Act (The Shooby Dooby Song)” to start and then move on to “Way With Words,” though it is one of those albums where everything is great. Jurvanen is joined by first rate (D’Angelo’s) rhythm section drummer James Gadson and bassist Pino Palladino The funk is not what I would call funky, more like a groove on a pop moment but the songs are so strong strong everything adds to a complete picture of the man

Fall Out Boy – MANIA – The reason FOB feel slight is because they are slight, a mélange of emo meets EDM rock hitting the lowest common denominator 20 something world of pop, and hitting more often than not. They are Paramore for Playstation addicts. Fortunately, that doesn’t make for bad music, just not greet music. MANIA is a way competent chart heatseeker covering all bases, usually it works, sometimes it doesn’t

AWOLNATION – Here Come the Runts – Electronic rock band have had a good run this decade and this is a s good as the best, nearly every song is memorable, and it moves from one instantly addictive melody to another

Matt Whipkey – Driver – Matt, a rock star if that word means anything anymore, has driven for both Lyft and Uber, and has taken the stories shared and switched idioms, for this deep green and red classic rock album, amazingly consistently, constantly entertaining and enlightening, sometimes destructive, always dazzling songs. “Marian Kowalski, Dec 1994,” “Fred, You’re Dead,” and “Coal Mine” followed by “Winter Tires,” are highlights, “Drive My Car” is just looking for trouble

Kodak Black – Heart Break Kodak (HBK) – vicious little Kodak on romance, no, really, make up, break up, beat up, move on… this is a strange pleasure vibe on really troubled romance as he sings as much as raps and doesn’t kill any one, and as late as the 16th song, the wittily called “When Vultures Cry” he is still invested in it

Yellow Claw – Amsterdam Trap Music, Vol. 3 – Some of the best trap beats I’ve heard all year, I wonder why they haven’t made a fortune selling em to Atlanta rappers

Big Star – Live At Lafayette’s Music Room – Memphis, TN – The birth of Big Star as critics darlings (opening for Archie Bell And The Drells) in 1973, songs off #1 Record, songs not yet on Radio City, and some strong covers. Thus are legends born

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac (Deluxe) – A coupla years past the Cali Mac revival spearheaded by Dawes, here comes the remastered first shot from the soft rock Mac, first album remastered, second album filled with early takes (proving how fully formed the songs were), and finally live tracks from their 1975 tour. Hang around for a late “Oh Well”

Frank Zappa and The Mothers – The Roxy Performances (Live) – From December 1973, this is a definitive exploration of prime Zappa live, if you want to know what all the fuss is about binge listen this, this is Miles Davis good. I’m not a huge Zappa fan, but wow he was on some wild musically plateau we ain’t caught up with yet. The best bit? That “Be-Bop Tango” is completely bonkers

Nina Simone – The Colpix Singles – 27 songs from the start of her career to just before she hit it big